Going to buy localy from Digital camera warehouse, and I also want to check the camera for stains before purchase, do you think that they will let me do that? Will the k-5 battery have any juice in it to fire off a couple of tests shots so i can try it in the shop?

I also want to check the camera for stains before purchase, do you think that they will let me do that? Will the k-5 battery have any juice in it to fire off a couple of tests shots so i can try it in the shop?

If you do make sure you take them at high aperture numbers - ie. F22. I found a clear blue sky was as good as anything for this.
Initially thought mine was stain free, but I used Live View for an extended period and all of a sudden had a large number of spots appearing. Apparently Live View/Video heats up the sensor and can cause the stain to appear. Sent it to C R Kennedy today for assessment.

Going to buy localy from Digital camera warehouse, and I also want to check the camera for stains before purchase, do you think that they will let me do that? Will the k-5 battery have any juice in it to fire off a couple of tests shots so i can try it in the shop?

I bought my K-5 from Paxton and explained I wanted to check it for sensor stain. They were kind enough to lend a battery and memory card - I took an f22 shot against a white canvas background, and then they loaded the shot up on their computer and allowed me to check that there were no stains.

They also said they had a 45 day return policy if I discovered problems when I took the camera home. So I didn't need to do it at the shop, but it felt good to leave the shop knowing I had a good unit.

If you do make sure you take them at high aperture numbers - ie. F22. I found a clear blue sky was as good as anything for this.
Initially thought mine was stain free, but I used Live View for an extended period and all of a sudden had a large number of spots appearing. Apparently Live View/Video heats up the sensor and can cause the stain to appear. Sent it to C R Kennedy today for assessment.

Hi Geoff, there are a couple of other K-5 owners in Hobart if you would like to get in touch.

I just had an interesting conversation with the owner of my favourite local camera shop. Seems he had 6 K-5's delivered by CRK on Christmas eve. too late to sell them to all those that enquired pre-christmas. He still has them, and has not sold even one K-5 (I tried to buy one from him last year, but at that stage there were stock problems from CRK, possibly due to the stain replacement issue.)

The camera sales guys in the store all say they love the K-5 and are trying hard to push it, but people are more willing to stick with the 'big two' and would rather pay similar $$$ for inferior product, like the 60D for instance. Is it that the K-5 is just a couple of hundred dollars too expensive for Mr and Mrs average? People who probably don't care about all the killer features of the K-5 and buy the hype and marketing of canikon?

They seem to think that consumers are keeping their sheckels safe for now and not spending up. Waiting to see what happens in the next 6 months. Has anyone else found this cautiousness in our economy?

wiz - I would guess it comes down to marketing in this case. For those normal people that are not "obsessed amateurs" and don't do a lot of research, they are probably much more comfortable going with a brand that is more familiar to them. It is interesting though that they haven't sold any despite the sales guys pushing them, maybe in part they have been a bit unlucky? There can also be a bit of talk amongst other amateur photographers, saying that pentax is "not as good" or whatever. In my experience it's not as common as some would make out, but it can happen occasionally.

In regards to the cautiousness, definately. I think a bit of that came in when the GFC first hit. As Aussies we weren't hit as hard as most countries, but a lot of people did keep a close eye on their cash. I'm pretty tight now as it is; eventually ordered a K-5 after wanting it since October last year, but only after getting a good price and trying to claim the GST back through the TRS...

On that note, I did hear on the news that the retail industry over here in WA was suffering in Jan. Apparently the post Christmas sales were way lower than usual, so it would seem that plenty of people are holding onto their money.

I think a lot of the reason why canikon are purchased ahead of pentax has to do with the culture around photography. By that i mean the misconception that you need to have a Nikon or a Canon to be a good photogrpaher. Of course it's rubbish, it wouldn't matter what brand you have.

Another contributing factor i think has to do with getting a presence in shop windows. As a person looking to buy a camera, Nikon and Canon take up the majority of space in display cabinets in camera shops. If you don't know anything about the smaller brands (or haven't bought a pentax/olympus etc) then you are probably going to be drawn toward canikon marketing and hype. Availability of lenses and accessories plays a big part to, it can be hard to find stocked pentax gear.

I think it is safe to say that Pentax don't really do enough marketing to help their cause, not like the big 2 and even Sony now. Pentax knows what it takes to be a big player they have been there, but will they aim that high again? I doubt it, they fell off the rails for too many years and now it is almost too hard and too expensive to play catchup to the others. Instead they are trying for a small targeted market.

Well, my camera has arrived! Very happy with Digital Camera Warehouse. I paid by direct debit on Sunday night, and it arrived on my doorstep on Wednesday morning!

No stains so far.

I'm already starting to get used to this camera and taking some reasonable shots, but i'm still waiting for my Tamron 17-50mm to arrive. The lens i have at the moment (Sigma 70-300mm) really isn't very sharp.

Well, my camera has arrived! Very happy with Digital Camera Warehouse. I paid by direct debit on Sunday night, and it arrived on my doorstep on Wednesday morning!

No stains so far.

I'm already starting to get used to this camera and taking some reasonable shots, but i'm still waiting for my Tamron 17-50mm to arrive. The lens i have at the moment (Sigma 70-300mm) really isn't very sharp.

Congrats mate
Not trying to be an a***, but have you considered getting a Pentax lens? I'd recommend a prime, even an old one!

Not trying to be an a***, but have you considered getting a Pentax lens? I'd recommend a prime, even an old one!

I'm on the lookout for some old pentax primes (for the right price). I'm on a budget. I'm sure eventually I will get some Pentax glass. For now i'm just looking for the best value for money for what i need. And the Tamron has a very good reputation on these forums. I hope i won't be disappointed.

By the way, has anyone else seen the note on the bottom of the CRK warranty card that says, "International Warranty Card issued on request"? Do you have to pay for this?